Animal and Food Science

The Department of Animal and Food Science is dedicated to providing quality instruction for students seeking careers in:

Livestock production

Equine training and management

Dairy production

Dairy food processing

Meat processing

Food technology

Veterinary technology

It is also our mission to help students develop the communication and problem-solving skills necessary to adapt to a changing society and become productive members of their community.

Message from the Chair

Dear prospective students,

Welcome to the Department of Animal and Food Science. When you enroll in one of our programs, you will find yourself in a challenging academic environment with ample opportunities to learn in the way that works best for you. Many of our core classes such as Feeds and Feeding, Animal Physiology, and Physiology of Reproduction include laboratory components with significant hands-on learning. All of our animal production courses in dairy, meat animal, or equine also include laboratory sections taught at our farms, where you can put into actual practice the concepts learned in the classroom.

Our farms have beef, sheep, swine, dairy, and equine herds, all of which are not only cared for, but managed in many instances by student workers. We also have operating meat and dairy processing facilities on our campus, which offer further opportunities for hands-on learning in food processing. There are many extracurricular activities available to our students as well.

Our department has 13 full-time faculty members with expertise in all the core disciplines of animal production including management, nutrition, physiology, genetics/breeding, and health. Teaching is job-one in our department. Most faculty members either have been, or are currently, active animal producers and maintain significant industry contacts in their species of interest.

It is my hope that you will consider our campus as your choice for a rewarding education in Dairy Science or Animal Science with a meat animal or equine emphasis. Please feel free to contact me gary.onan@uwrf.edu if you have questions about our programs.

Gary Onan
Animal & Food Science Department Chair

Why Animal & Food Science?

Variety of majors

The Animal & Food Science Department offers a variety of program choices including an Animal Science and a Dairy Science major as well as a number of different options and emphases within majors.

Faculty dedicated to student success

Teaching excellence: Our faculty have been recognized with the national teaching award from the American Dairy Science Association; campus and college-wide teaching awards; and the UW System Teaching Fellows Program.

Advising excellence: faculty members are very knowledgeable regarding program requirements and committed to efficient completion of student programs.

Open door policy: faculty members are available to students on a daily basis.

Mentorship: faculty members routinely mentor significant numbers of students with internships, undergraduate research projects, and international study endeavors.

Hands-on learning

Exceptional laboratory experiences: over 50% of courses in the core Dairy/Animal Science curriculum have substantial hands-on laboratory sections where students work with animals.

Work opportunities at Laboratory Farms: dozens of students work on a regular basis caring for and managing the livestock including dairy cattle, beef cattle, swine, sheep, and horses at the university’s farms.

Experiences outside campus: A large number of private dairy farms and stables in the St. Croix valley offer further opportunity for students to gain hands-on experience.

Extracurricular activities

Student organizations: UWRF has the nation’s largest Dairy Club; a large and active Block & Bridle Club; a highly recognized Horseman’s Association; the only Rodeo Club in the northern half of the U.S. east of the Mississippi; an active Poultry Club.

Forty-nine members of the UWRF Dairy Club attended the Midwest Regional American Dairy Science Association - Student Affiliate Division (ADSA-SAD) Conference. The Senior Quiz Bowl Team took First Place for the third year in a row in the senior division. Read more